Christmas and the Gift That Keeps On Giving - Round 2!

We had another Christmas here  - going into our tenth year without Rye and we still arent great at it - even when we try really hard - which we sometimes do, but sometimes we give up about Thanksgiving since that holiday also kicks our asses too. 

I told you all about the last Christmas Gift that keeps on Giving and the year of "Blind Dates With A Book" that my Nephew got me as a gift.  You can read about the first part of the year with that HERE!

It was one of my favorite gifts of all time and each month was such a fun surprise and it was also fun giving the family an update once a month on what the new book was and how I was doing on the reading.  One of the things that I have found that Loss Mothers have in common is that after the loss - for a good long while- it is nearly impossible to read and retain anything of what you have read.  The Grief brain fog is brutal and incessant.  There is really nothing to make it shorter or to "fix" it! It just takes time - as do all things loss.

Isnt this fun?  One of my books has some sort of treasure map or something - it could be math but math is not my friend, so I prefer to say it is a treasure map, with clues instead of map lines.  I loved getting this one!  Not all of the books in my gift were new and I am so OK with that!  How else would I get a fun treasure map?!

So this  past year I read ten of the twelve book (so far).  I had not read any of the twelve books and I have a couple of new favorite authors that I am following.  Some of the books are now my friends too and I have passed a few of them along so others can enjoy them! 

Seans Mom had me for Christmas this year - and...... a new marvelous gift that keeps on giving!

When I first opened it, I thought it was books again and was very excited....but this is just as good!  Its a Quilt that gets made one month at a time!

A Quilty gift that keeps on giving!  Woohoo!  I like quilting maybe a little more than I like reading even, and my budget still doesnt support books or quilting right now, so these are so much fun for me!

Arent these beautiful fabrics?!  Almost too beautiful to cut!  Laugh if you want but it happens!

Those fabrics were in this box as the first month!  I have not actually started it yet, as I have a couple things that have to get finished first or they will never get done and I have a deadline.  I get it out about 3 times a week and drool over the fabrics and I cant wait to start.  Im already behind!  Wait - What?!

Isn't this fun?!  Each little month is a part of the quilt and I am so excited to get it started and get caught up!  Im not sure Ill wait if I get started I might run through the year - I almost opened all the books one month too!  Haha!  I held out though!

And then there is this..... just the sign I need to hang on the sewing room door so I can get caught up and start this fun gift that keps on giving!

Ill keep you posted as I go......Stay tuned.....Of course1

May you have a easy way forward to Spring, and may you have time to do things that feed your soul and excite your passions!

Blessed BE!

 

And.... We Ride it Out some More!!!

The Burg has been testing us this winter so far....... We have had multiple storms and been declared a Disaster area due to hurricane (unnamed) force winds, a blizzard, and now extreme cold!  Hubby and the whole family is wondering........

This is a post by the Principal at our school - Mr Martin.  He understands the assignment!  In order for us to live here and get this and .....

This......

We have to have......

This......

And This!  

Both of these thermometer pictures were taken within about three days of each other and it never has really warmed up yet still today!  Sometimes people will ask "are you really living if the cold hurts you when you breathe it?"

Yes I can say that we are still living....

The dogs are hesitant to go out as their feet freeze to the dry ice and hurt before they can even get across the driveway to do their business!  Yes - I have booties for the dogs somewhere - they are in a really "safe spot!"

In the beauty that is our cold we also get this..... birds of all kinds hunkering down with us!  These are Cedar Waxwings roosting in the lee of the house where the wind can't hit so hard.

The Chickadees and the Spruce Hens hunker down in the Blue Spruce along the driveway.  We rarely get to get close enough to get a picture, but these guys werent in the mood to do much moving out of the warmth of the branches in the sun!

I have not wanted to go anywhere either during this terrible cold!  I have been getting some home things done while I get to be home.  Things that make living better! Some are things I forgot to do in late fall and am just remembering.....

Strip the dried herbs and store them for easy use!  Left photo is oregano that I dried since September/October when I let those plants go to the cold - they dont love to winter indoors so I dry and harvest Oregano.  Right photo is the garden window and the two Rosemary plants that I can use fresh (I also have Sage, Mojito Mint (also does not love wintering indoors), and a lone Thyme plant that has almost gone by as well. 

Left photo stripping some Thyme and right photo - perusing seeds and catalogs to see what I need for Spring - Dreaming of Spring!

I have been able to finish some quilts that needed binding - and it keeps you warm while you do the hand sewing for the binding!  More to follow!

Bake up some deliciousness for ourselves and to share with neighbors.....

It helps warm up the house as well!

Last but not least is to relax with my wonderful slippers, a lovely quilt and some hot Fireweed tea! 

I know I say "stay tuned" a lot, but one of my goals for the New Year is to once again write regularly - so stay tuned for the Fireweed tea process, and for some upcoming post Christmas Posts, ( I have another gift that keeps on giving), and some fun ones as we head into Spring too.

May you be Well and Happy into the New Year, warm and healthy, and may you always have enough!

Blessed BE!

Hunker down and Ride It OUT!!!

 It has been completely crazy here in the Big Lake Burg and surrounding areas!  In the whole State it seems!  We had a 6.0 earthquake on Thanksgiving Day, then we had rain and snow mixed, and now we have had Hurricane Force Winds!  Gusts up to 100 MPH have been recorded!

This is the notification of the earthquake - its a phone app- Alaska has been getting hammered lately!

In Alaska, we don't name our storms - its just weather - I think I went over this before but it bears reminding!  Blizzard is Blizzard, Rain is Rain, and Wind is just that - Wind!  I have heard a couple of people say "This shall be called the 6-7 Storm"  Since it encompassed the 6th and 7th to start with, but now we will have to call it the "6-7, 8-9 Storm" as they have extended it through the 9th now!

These are the alerts we get and the facebook post is from our local utility for electric that has been working around the clock to get power back on for everyone!  If you arent able to read it, that says they still have 21K+ people without electricity!  Thats a big chunk of our population!

Here is my Bar B Que Grill and all of its guts along with a birdfeeder that I thought I had tucked away where it couldnt get wind blown, and an assortment of brick pavers that were on the grill and obviously didn't hold it down!  This particular grill is once again upright but its so destroyed that it will just go in the dumpster!  All the bars and lines are broken!  Luckily this is not our regular use one and we have another one that we use most of the time. This IS the one that works without electricity!  Of course!  We have been lucky and only had power out for about 8 hours, but now there is this.....

More wind to come at the end of this week - like Thursday and Friday!  Ugh!

Part of my family are ready to move to Hawaii, or to a land far, far away!  Hubby asked yesterday why we live in this "God Forsaken Place?" 

My only answer is this....

These are Cedar Waxwings feasting on the berries of the Rowan (Mountain Ash) Trees that are scattered throughout our yard.  We have at least 100 of the birds and they come in between wind events to feast and then go hunker down in the big Blue Spruce (also in the yard), to ride it out with the chickadees!

Here are some of the berries on the ground - they will scoop those up as soon as the tree berries run out!

Here you can see the berries on the trees - they are beautiful and sometimes even the Moose and the Squirrels will feast on the berries.

And then there is this reason to live here.....

This is almost an every day sight here when it is cold in the winter, but we also sometimes see them even in the summer!  In person, it is breathtaking!

I know that sometimes they can be seen at other places around the world, but here, where the air is clear, when the wind is not blowing, you can hear them flowing and firing across the sky, and it is magical.

So we will hunker down and ride it out, and wait until Mother Nature has reached a calmer season.

Until then, May the Wind be always at your back (or not blowing at all), and may you recognize the beauty that is all around you (even if there is blowing debris), and may you be safe and warm and blessed in all things!

Affirmations and Love!

 "May the most you wish for be the least that you get!"

This little gem came in a box of "Aim for the stars" affirmations/positive quotes that I got and I have held onto it for a few years now - moving it around the office, choosing a different viewing point every once in a while so that it didnt become "invisible" in the fray that is currently my office. So I dont get so used to seeing it that I dont "see" it anymore.

It is a great reminder to 

A.  Love your people - If this is your wish for your people they will be doing pretty good at least from your side of the world!

B.  GIve yourself a little grace too - wish for all the things that that you are hoping for yourself also!

C.  Help others find the good things too - to be able to hope for more for themselves.  Even strangers. (except if they are trying to steal your hope)!

I got this little box from my sister (in a love her people moment) and it also has great little affirmations for every day - especially if I am struggling.  I have struggled often since the loss of Rye among other things, and finding meaning and reason to get out of bed, and sometimes just the right glance, at the right place, can help boost my mood and help the head and the heart stay where they need to be!

Full of great sayings and reminders, choosing a new one almost daily to see what the "cards hold" literally, is a fun and easy way to keep F'ing going each day.

 

And then there is this awesome "Ducking Duck" since I cant (and shouldn't but sometimes do anyway) say the "F" word at school - I can still have a smile - the friend who gave me this also struggles and at first she was resistant to the idea that I was put on the earth to make sure everyone is comfortable with the word F*&K, and she has joined the "dark side" in a good way!  Making it a funny, gentle reminder that I can say things at school and keep them appropriate!

Although Im not a super religious person (or very much at all - really), this little remimder is on my office door at the school.  I thought it was by someone like Mother Theresa, or Florence Nightengale or someone of that type of living, but it turns out is really is a Bible verse from Galatians 6:9!  We were asked at some point last year to put some positive quotes or affirmation, either on our doors or outside our doors, and this is the one I chose for this assignment and I have left it there all this time as it has gotten great reviews.  Everyone who see it stops and thinks about what it means - for me and for them - even the kids.

And this one, that I got from a friend at the beginning of this very hard road.  It sometimes helps me remember what my purpose here is; keeping people comfortable with words like F*&k, and reminding me that today is only one day, there will be many days, and some will be brilliant - if I keep my hopes, and my expectations in mind, and look ahead for the good!

I hope that the most that you wish for is the least that you get all the time!

Love your people!  Blessed Be!